MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 00:56:45| >> :60:3440:3440:
[monks data]
Attendance: 19,805
Espanyol logo
La Liga
Feb 27, 2018 at 7pm UK
 
Real Madrid logo

1-0

Moreno (90')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Gerard Moreno strikes late as Espanyol beat Real Madrid in Catalonia

Gerard Moreno strikes late in stoppage time in order to hand Espanyol a shock 1-0 victory against visitors Real Madrid at the RCDE Stadium in La Liga.

Gerard Moreno's stoppage-time strike ensured that Espanyol earned a shock win against Real Madrid courtesy of a 1-0 victory at the RCDE Stadium in La Liga this evening.

The defeat for Zinedine Zidane's charges is now their fifth of the season and brings an end to a four-game winning run in the Spanish top flight.

Victory for Quique Flores and his men in Catalonia has in turn ended an 11-game losing streak against Real across all competitions.

Keeping an eye on a crucial Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, Zidane opted to start with an experimental starting XI, but Madrid might have been ahead inside the opening exchanges had Gareth Bale been able to head Achraf Hakimi's cross either side of Diego Lopez.

Madrid held much of the ball early on and they appeared dangerous again when Mateo Kovacic fed Isco on the overlap, who saw his chipped effort into the danger zone tipped over the crossbar by a leaping Lopez.

For all of their dominance on the ball, Madrid failed to threaten too often for the remainder of the first half. Instead Espanyol almost went in front when Moreno capitalised on a poor pass from Raphael Varane, only to see Keylor Navas make a vital save with his legs.

Perhaps the greatest controversy of the opening 45 minutes came soon after, when an effort from outside of the box deflected kindly into the path of Moreno, who then turned unmarked inside the box to send a shot beyond Navas. The frontman was instantly denied by the linesman's flag, although replays suggested that Moreno might just have been kept onside by Real youngster Marcos Llorente.

Bale had a quiet first half but he was left frustrated when he drilled an effort towards goal at the back post, only to see it cannon into the body of Victor Sanchez, who appeared to block the ball with his arm when sliding across the deck.

Espanyol started the second period brightly and they were unlucky when Sergio Garcia broke free before seeing his shot from an acute angle kept out by Navas despite the keeper looking less than assured at his near post.

Again Real struggled in the final third and eventually opted to introduce Karim Benzema, but the Frenchman could do very little to impact a defensively adroit Espanyol side, who defended in numbers to keep Madrid quiet.

The hosts might have grabbed a winner just over 10 minutes from time too, but Navas responded well to meet Moreno's pinpoint header with a smart diving save.

The crucial moment arrived with what was essentially one of the final kicks of the game, however, as Moreno broke free inside the box and found himself unmarked after Real had thrown a number of men forward in search of a winner.

Having come up against a defiant Navas for most of the evening, Moreno made the final chance of the game count as he then volleyed into the ground and beyond the Madrid stopper to seal a memorable win for Espanyol in Catalonia.

ESPANYOL (4-4-2): Lopez; Navarro, Lopez, Duarte, Caricol; Arder, V. Sanchez (Granero 68'), C. Sanchez, Piatti (Baptistao 79'); Garcia, Moreno

REAL MADRID (4-2-3-1): Navas; Achraf, Ramos, Varane, Nacho; Kovacic (Mayoral 89'), Llorente; Isco (Benzema 68'), Vazquez, Asensio; Bale (Ceballos 81')

ID:319715: cacheID:319715:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5730:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring during the La Liga game between Getafe and Real Madrid on October 14, 2017
Read Next:
Zinedine Zidane: 'Ronaldo is a team player'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona14111242142834
2Atletico MadridAtletico148512181329
3Real Madrid1283125111427
4Villarreal127322319424
5GironaGirona146352018221
6Mallorca146351312121
7Osasuna136341720-321
8Athletic Bilbao135531913620
9Real BetisBetis145541616020
10Real Sociedad135351110118
11Celta Vigo145362224-218
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves144191524-913
17Las PalmasLas Palmas143381825-712
18Valencia122461219-710
19Espanyol133191226-1410
20Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!